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Hampton joins school board

A Dilley area resident was sworn in Monday night as the newest member of the Forest Grove School Board.

Alisa Hampton, a global strategies manager with Intel Corp. in Hillsboro and the mother of four children, replaced Shawn Vilhauer in Position 3. Her 14-month term will expire on June 30, 2009.

Vilhauer, who served on the board for nearly three years, resigned to tend to personal and work matters.

Board members Dawn Pratt, Fred Marble, Ralph Brown and Anna Tavera-Weller selected Hampton from among three candidates they interviewed last Wednesday, April 9.

The others were Herb Drew, a financial adviser in Forest Grove, and Elliot Howard, a software engineer.

'It was wonderful to see three people step forward and offer the time and energy it takes,' said chairwoman Dawn Pratt. 'We felt especially impressed that Alisa would be a very good voice on the board.'

Turf project approved

In other business, the board unanimously approved a contract with Texas-based Atlas Tracks, Inc. to install an artificial turf field at Forest Grove High School.

The contract is for $848,828. So far, community members and businesses have pledged $529,00 to the project, said district business manager Darin Davidson.

The district will secure a loan to bridge the gap, said Superintendent Jack Musser.

Dow Bros. Inc., a Cornelius construction company, will start excavation work in late June. The deadline to finish the project is Aug. 22, before school opens for the 2008-09 academic year, Davidson said.

Board member Ralph Brown suggested that the cost of new restrooms be included in the loan amount.

'The idea of having a great track and then going into those (old) bathrooms doesn't jibe,' Brown said. 'If we don't do that, I think we're setting ourselves up for a lot of agony.'